Black Metal Briefs: Clearing the Docket

Only Procrastination Is Real

I've had some black metal releases sitting on my iPod for too long without a review. Let's knock some of those out.

Lychgate: Lychgate (2013)
3.5 out of 5 stars

Some difficult to describe black metal is coming out of Lychgate. Although they're from the UK, they sound like something that would come out of the San Francisco underground--Flenser stuff like Palace of Worms, not Deafheaven. The tempos run the gamut, and they use plenty of dissonance, but they also use synths extensively without sounding even remotely like symphonic black metal. It's very cool.




Gevurah: Necheshirion (2013)
4 out of 5 stars

Quebec's Gevurah play black metal with no frills and a whole lot of heavy. They regularly do a trick on the guitar (see the opener) that sounds like it's running off the rails, and I love it. They also know how to play it slow when the mood strikes. This is just an EP? For 33 minutes of cohesive, killer riffs?



Profound Lore

A Land Beyond the Sea: Weltenwanderer (2013)
3.5 out of 5 stars

I'm not too keen on the snare drum in Weltenwanderer. Aside from that, A Land Beyond the Sea have managed to create a black metal record that is uncompromisingly aggressive, yet melodic. It has modern sensibilities, but respects the past. They sometimes incorporate synths, and other times slow it down for some death growls. But as a total package, this is a lesson for those who want to keep it trve without re-recording Transilvanian Hunger in a garbage can.